This is the tender moment newlywed Greta Hokanson shared a dance with the man who saved her life when she was just 16.
Greta was diagnosed with leukaemia in 2006, and the only cure was a bone marrow transplant.
None of her family were a match, but after joining the bone marrow register, she discovered that a 44-year-old man from Arkansas was one of her matches. She decided to go for the risky surgery.
Thankfully, it was a success and a year later, Greta met Danny Daniels — the wonderful, generous man who had saved her life.
So when it came to Greta getting married, it was only natural that she invite the man who made it possible.
“When we were making our guest list, I told my mom that I really wanted to invite Danny and Angie, his wife,” Hokanson said. They sent the invitation, not expecting Daniels, an Air National Guard member who’s currently stationed in Arizona, to make it.
“I had an online RSVP system, and when I got his response with the message, ‘We can’t wait to see you!’ my jaw dropped to the floor,” Hokanson said. “I got tears in my eyes, and I called Tony, who was so excited because he’d never met Danny. Only me and my parents had. I really couldn’t believe it.”
When she married Tony Hokanson on Oct. 10, she was joined by 260 friends and family — and her donor.
But that wasn’t all. They pair shared a special, emotional dance during the reception.
“Angels Among Us” by Alabama played, a perfect tribute to a selfless man.
There wasn’t a dry eye in the house.
“I had only seen him during [the] receiving line, so it was our first chance to talk,” Greta said. “I gave him my thanks again and I got really emotional. I can’t get over what his selfless act means.”
Greta still deals with some after-effects of leukemia, like joint pain and fatigue. But it also led to her changing her career from teaching to nursing. Now a nurse at United Hospital in St. Paul, she said that the nurses who cared for her while she was sick inspired her.
For Danny, the best part of the day was seeing Greta live the normal life he hoped she would have.
Greta Hokanson
“I was very proud at the wedding, just like a father would be. It felt like my own daughter getting married.”
